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The Short List for the 2026 Mercury Prize is out

Alan Cross 0 Comments 19 Views

The Mercury Prize, the UK’s version of our Polaris Music Prize, just released its Short list of twelve finalists for 2026. The goal is to choose the best British album of the last twelve months, regardless of genre or commercial success.

Here we go.

Dave – The Boy Who Played the Harp
Dove Ellis – Blizzard
Florence + The Machine – Everybody Scream
JADE – THAT’S SHOWBIZ BABY!
Knats – A Great Day In Newcastle
Kojey Radical – Don’t Look Down
Nia Archives – Emotional Junglist
Olivia Dean – The Art of Loving
Paul McCartney – The Boys of Dungeon Lane
RAYE – THIS MUSIC MAY CONTAIN HOPE.
Suede – Antidepressants
War Child Records – HELP(2) [1]

Yeah, Paul McCartney! Cool. And the War Child album in an interesting inclusion.

This will be a tough decision for the jury because all of these albums are pretty great, in my opinion. We’ll find out the winner on October 12 at the big gala in Newcastle. Meanwhile, if you’re not familiar with some of these records you’ve got homework to do.

Alan Cross

is an internationally known broadcaster, interviewer, writer, consultant, blogger and speaker. In his 40+ years in the music business, Alan has interviewed the biggest names in rock, from David Bowie and U2 to Pearl Jam and the Foo Fighters. He’s also known as a musicologist and documentarian through programs like The Ongoing History of New Music.

Alan Cross has 42453 posts and counting. See all posts by Alan Cross

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